A course at the University of Manitoba isn't just teaching students about weather, it's bringing them into the centre of the action.
The university's storm chasing course teaches students about severe weather, including how to predict it and how to safely observe it up close.
Students then take a weeklong field trip with professors at the end of the seven-week course to experience firsthand anything from severe thunderstorms to tornadoes. That's what instructor Pat McCarthy says makes the program one of a kind.
"We'll actually hold class in front of a big storm. The instructor will stand there, there's a big storm behind us, and we'll be explaining, ‘This what we're seeing, this is what is happening, can you feel the air, what's it doing?'" he said.
Since the course was started by University of Manitoba professor John Hanesiak in 2005, students have driven across North America chasing storms, seeing everything from loonie-sized hail to supercell tornadoes along the way.
Students studying atmospheric science at the University of Manitoba are given preference for enrolling as one of the 14 students who can take the course. Any leftover spots are made available to members of the public, giving emergency management officials, military personnel and others with a keen interest in the weather the chance to take part.
Marie Loeppky is one of those interested in learning about storm safety. In 2007, she was caught in the Elie, Manitoba, tornado that Environment Canada said was the first-ever F5 tornado recorded in Canada.
"I was out there watching the F5 that hit Elie. I was on the wrong side of that storm, so it chased me back to the city actually," Loeppky said of the tornado that topped the Fujita intensity-scale with winds in excess of 420 km/h.
"I'm here to learn the safety of how to actually watch tornados in a safe way."
The class will leave for their field trip in the third week of June, which coincides with the peak of Canada's tornado season.
With files from CTV Winnipeg
